


How could we let this happen?

by Weeping_Writer



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Angst, Kidnapping, Paranoia, Post-Canon, Stalking, its probably going to hurt, ngl, vfd being a cult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21991024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weeping_Writer/pseuds/Weeping_Writer
Summary: Years after they left the safety of the island, the Baudelaires have found a decent life in the city, however a quiet life can lead to guards going down and unsuspecting dangers rising.
Relationships: Klaus Baudelaire & Sunny Baudelaire & Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire & Sunny Baudelaire & Violet Baudelaire & Beatrice Snicket
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	How could we let this happen?

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr is knight-of-vfd.tumblr.com if you have any questions.

Klaus should’ve found it worrisome when he awoke on the small sofa, papers everywhere, back aching, only to find his adopted daughter Beatrice, grinning from ear to ear, holding a small container that had the logo of the downtown coffee shop. She placed the container on the coffee table and gave him a loving kiss on his forehead.

“Good Morning Da- Klaus!” She beamed. “I hope you slept well!”

“G'morning’...what’s...that?” he grumbled, wiping his eyes from sleep. He was still groggy, still a bit disoriented after staying up very late working on the sales and upcoming book shipments for the bookstore he worked at. So much so, that he didn’t hear what Beatrice saying about the coffee.

“Wait.. _what_?”

“I said, it’s a cappy-chino? I saw that you were still sleeping and I wanted to surprise you! So I went to get you a coffee.”

“You went... _by_ _yourself_?” he should’ve been alarmed, but he was still so tired, so disoriented.

“Violet and Sunny were at the store and...and it wasn’t too far! I promise I was careful...really.” Beatrice deflated a bit, a small pout on her lips. “The manager was so nice and...and...am I in trouble?”

She looked so happy...she went out of her way to surprise him. His weariness and guilt got the better of him and he really needed caffeine now...especially if he was going to deal with the bitching of unsatisfied customers in a few hours.

“No...not in trouble.” He took the coffee and kissed her on her forehead. “Thank you...Bumble Bee”

He should’ve reprimanded her for leaving the apartment without telling anyone, for going out there alone as anything could’ve happened. Out there she was vulnerable to so much. He also should’ve told Violet and Sunny about it. They would’ve questioned Bea about what happened, and what she told them would’ve determined if they should move or not. V.F.D. was still out there, but neither he nor his sisters had heard anything about the cult. He figured they’ve been safe for a while, so he just dropped the subject altogether. There’s no use in making a mountain out of a molehill right?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

When Violet and Beatrice were at the video store, Violet, who was in the second isle, took notice of a red-haired woman start a conversation with her daughter in the next isle. Red flags going off in her head as she listened in to them.

“So Beatrice, do you like bats?” the woman asked, her voice sweet as honey. That was a suspiciously specific conversation starter. ** _Strike one._ Violet** figured she was worrying over nothing. It was probably a way of making conversation.

“I _love_ bats! They’re _soooo_ cute and they’re just so cool!” Beatrice squealed, practically jumping up and down. “I know almost _everything_ about them!”

“Oh really now?” The woman’s tone was off and Violet was sure that she could see a gleam flash in her eyes, almost as if she had made an interesting discovery. **_Strike two._**

Beatrice nodded eagerly as she closed her eyes trying to remember something. 

“Yeah! Like did you know that  a bat’s echolocation is so tuned that it can detect objects as thin as a hair?” She was so excited to share her passion, her love of the peculiar mammal.

“How interesting!” The woman cooed. “You’re such a bright little girl! Why, I teach at a special school and we could use such a gifted little girl like yourself.”

“Woah really? How special can school be?”

The woman only winked. “ _Very_ special.”

**_Strike Three._ **

Violet hurriedly grabbed a video tape that had a picture of a creepy, kooky mysterious and almost spooky family and rushed towards her daughter. She had to breathe, she was right to be concerned, but she had to calm down. Panicking would make it worse, just get Beatrice, pay for the movie and run home. Everything would be ok.

“Come on sweetheart, I found the movie, let’s go.” Violet said, getting the child’s hand began to Beatrice, who waving a good-bye. The woman blinked as she looked up at Violet, who was beginning to lead Beatrice, her eyes still had that gleam.

“You have a _very_ friendly daughter ma’am. You must be _so_ proud to have this gem for a little one.” The woman’s voice was still in that cordial tone, and Violet was sure she was going to break down right now. She hurried up towards the register, ignoring the odd looks the cashier and Beatrice were giving her. She quickly looked behind her only to see the red-haired woman pick up a little girl with black hair and give her a hug. A simple mother and daughter.

Violet felt a wave of relief wash over her, realizing that she had panicked over nothing. She let out a small laugh and proceeded to pay for the movie. Klaus was right, she’s been acting paranoid lately. She really needed to get a grip. They were safe now, especially from V.F.D. 

The walk back to the apartments was spent with Beatrice holding onto Violet’s hand, splashing puddles and giggling the whole way through.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Sunny and Beatrice had a fight. Neither could remember what, only that harsh words were exchanged and that they were both so angry. Beatrice grabbed her blue-striped scarf, ran into the bedroom the two girls shared, and slammed the door.

Sunny left the apartment altogether. If Bea wanted to be alone, then so be it. She could handle it since she thought herself as brave. Sunny slammed the door so hard, the peeling painted numbers nearly fell off. She stormed off to the elevator, only to find a man with a tool box, working with the wires in the small control panel.

“Sorry lil lady,” He muttered, not making any eye contact with Sunny, “Elevator’s out. Been working on this thing for hours, almost done though. You can either wait or take the stairs. ”

Sunny just rolled her eyes and stomped out the stairs, and sat down on the small steps that were outside the apartment complex. She shuddered as the cold winds hit her, causing her to realize that in her anger, she had forgotten her jacket and had accidently taken the apartment’s cordless phone. 4:00, Violet and Klaus would be home from work soon. 

She took a deep shuddering breath. If she was to go back up there and face Bea, she needed to cool down first, and cloudy skies and were helping a bit. She noticed a white van parked near the apartments. The windows were tinted, so Sunny couldn’t see if there was anyone there. One thing she did know, was that the van was still running.

~~   
Violet and Klaus weren’t exactly doing so well either. In the mechanic shop a woman wearing a hair wrap had brought her old car, asking Violet to fix it. As Violet began to examine the car, as the woman, who was constantly glancing at the clock, wasn’t exactly being specific. Something was nagging Violet to no end. She felt as if the woman was familiar and the thought bothered her. Something just didn’t feel right.

“Ma’am, are you _sure_ you do not know where the rattling is coming from?” Violet asked, noticing that at this pace, she might be getting home late. Very late.

“I’m positive miss!” The woman sighed, glancing at the clock again. “I can’t tell if it’s coming from the exhaust or the engine.”

“Right...of course.” 

Meanwhile, Klaus was trying to help a man find a certain book. The man was constantly mumbling and stuttering about his words, changing his mind on what the title of the book he’s looking for, even changing his mind on what genre it was. One minute he was looking for a book about a giant dog that goes rabid, then he was looking for a book that had a killer clown that plagues a town.

“It’s a...whatzits name...King or maybe it’s Steven.” The man said, his eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “I just can’t seem to remember...All I know is that my granddaughter really likes him.”

Klaus sighed, trying to keep his customer-friendly smile (as his boss calls it), and try to help this customer asap. He should’ve been heading home already and after an extremely mind numbing shift, he wanted to have to be back at the apartment, have a delicious dinner and spend the rest of the evening relaxing with his family.

“Um...sir, I think I know which author you’re looking for...if you would like, I can check the computer, find the author, and we can figure out what book you’re-”

“Now hold on, there!” The man interrupted, glancing at his watch. “It’ll come to me in time! Just give me a moment!”

“Yes...sir.” Klaus grumbled, realizing he’ll be home late. Extremely late. _Wonderful_.

~~~

Sunny sighed. It was about 5:00 or so, best to start heading back upstairs. She started to feel guilty, for the horrible fight she had with her sister. She shouldn’t have lost her temper with her. Beatrice was just worried about her and wanted to make sure she was doing alright. As she made her way back up to the apartment, her steps echoing. She stopped when reached her floor, she took notice that the repair man wasn’t there and a tacky out of order sign was placed on the elevator doors. Sunny found it odd as she was sure she hadn’t seen him on her way up. She shook her head, figuring that she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice him.

  
“Hey Bea?” She called out, but she got no reply. The apartment was just a bit too quiet, it almost creeped her out.

  
Sunny sighed, figuring that her adopted sister/daughter was still upset. A small smile forming on her lips, she began to take out the ingredients necessary for a strawberry shortcake. Beatrice’s favorite. She then put on an apron and pulled out a second one. What better way to make amends with your adopted daughter/sister than to make her favorite cake with her?

Sunny made her way to the door of their shared room. Taking in a deep breath to give herself courage, Sunny knocked on the door.   
  
“Hey Little Thing?” She asked, gently. “Do you want to come out and help me bake something?”   
  
Silence.   
  
“It’s something _very_ special.”   
  
More silence. She was probably still mad at her.   
  
“Look, I’m so sorry for earlier Little Thing.” Sunny said quietly. “You know I didn’t mean what I said.”

She turned the doorknob and opened the door.

  
~~~~   
  
Violet wiped her hands on an old rag, the grease coming off with some difficulty. She left the garage and approached the woman, who was sitting in one of the small folded chairs in the lobby area, tapping her foot a bit impatiently.    


“Well ma’am,” She began, “I’ve looked through your car up and down and I’m afraid I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I’ve tested the engine and even checked the oil pressure and I just can’t see the problem.”

The woman placed a hand on her mouth, looking a bit surprised.    
  


“Oh dear.” She said her voice sounding...off. “Is that so?”   
  
“I’m afraid so,’ Violet said. “I’m terribly sorry that there wasn’t anything I could do.”    
  
The woman glanced up towards the clock in the lobby, and gave Violet a peculiar smile as she handed Violet a small stack of bills.   
  
“Actually,” She chirped. “You’ve done _more_ than enough, thank you.”

She then gave Violet another smile and hurriedly made her way to the car. Her hair wrap getting caught when she tried to get into her car. Confused, Violet began to place her tools away when she caught sight of the woman driving hurriedly away from the shop, her red hair messy and in full view.   
  
~~~~~~   
  
Klaus wanted to bang his head against the bookshelf in utter irritation. The man still couldn’t seem to make up his mind on the author’s name. Klaus had tried to get the bookstore’s manager and even another employee who could help this man, but the man seemed adamant have only Klaus there. If Klaus didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn that the old man was trying to keep him in the bookstore. 

“Shit…” The man mumbled. “I just can’t seem to remember that damn name. I just know that my wife is going to skin me alive. It’s getting close to our granddaughter’s birthday and she’s been begging us for this book and-”

  
“If you like sir, you could describe the book’s plot,” Klaus interrupted in what he hoped was a polite and cheery tone, despite his internal annoyance. “That way I can help you find it. I’m quite adept at this sort of thing.”   
  
The old man sighed, and glanced at his watch wearily. A peculiar smile spread across his face, his eyes shining bright. “Actually.” He said, making his way towards the exit. “I think my grandson has what we’re looking for.”   
  


Klaus was stunned beyond belief. This man had spent about an hour, giving him an endless amount of pointless clues for a book that was right on the shelf, just so he could leave and claim that he already had the book. Klaus was shaking, all of his manager’s words to be patient, to just let go of any strain whenever a customer was being difficult, but this...this was absolute _bullshit_! Just _bullshit_! He did it on purpose. He _must’ve_. Klaus shook his head in disbelief, beginning to aggressively pack up that way he can close up the shop as soon as possible. 

God, people can be such assholes.   
  
~~~~   
The room was absolutely trashed. Pictures in frames, that were once on the wall, now lay broken on the floor. The small drawers that contained the girls’ clothes was knocked down, clothes scattered everywhere. The window lay open, a small breeze coming through and chilling the room. Beatrice was nowhere in sight. All that remained was a black shoe with a golden buckle. It was her shoe.

Sunny felt sick as she began to step backwards, horror slowly creeping in. She was praying to whoever was listening that what she was seeing before her was a prank. A prank that Beatrice wanted to play on her, to get revenge for their fight. Before she knew it, Sunny had grabbed the apartment’s cordless phone and was rushing down the stairs, she realized something.

  
The elevator was still busted as the Out of Order sign was still on the doors. Didn’t the repairman say it would’ve been repaired by now? If he was working on it for hours and was almost done as he claimed, it would’ve been already been fixed already. Not to mention, he was nowhere to be seen as Sunny hadn’t seen him on the way up the stairs. The stairs were the only way aside from the elevator, to move up and down the complex. The realization hit her like a tub of bricks. That “repairman” knew that the stairs would take longer, he knew that the Baudelaire family was on the top floor of the apartments. He wasn’t fixing the elevator, he was sabotaging it.

Her fingers were frantically pressing the numbers of either Violet or Klaus’s work phone, she didn’t know who. She yanked open the apartment lobby door so hard, it almost fell off the hinges. She raced through to the outside, catching a glimpse of the white van speeding off, a blue striped scarf flying out. Sunny fell on her knees, tears falling down her cheeks and Violet’s voice answering, sounding concern.    
  
  


~~~~~~

It took both Klaus and Violet to get Sunny to calm down and tell them what happened, and when she was able to tell them...there was just no way to console them. Their sobs could be heard throughout the complex.

V.F.D was behind this, that much they knew. While Violet, Klaus and Sunny’s experiences with the wicked world helped them catch on quickly to the organization’s true intentions, Beatrice was still innocent. She didn’t see the world with shades of gray like they did, she didn’t even see the world in black and white. She saw the good in everyone even the criminals that would appear in the newspaper. 

They didn’t sleep that night, and how could they? Not when their little girl was lord knows where and lord knows what was happening to her. Terrible thoughts flashed through their minds, terrible fears, images of eyes, tattoos, and brainwashing.

  
They were just wondering how this could happen, how could they be so careless with the safety of their adopted daughter. They promised Kit they would take care of her daughter, make sure she would be safe, and they failed. They failed Kit, they failed their parents and most of all, they failed their adopted daughter. It was their job to protect her, to teach her about the dangers and how to ready herself, but no. They still shielded her as they just weren’t ready to reveal her to such horrors and as a result, their little Beatrice was abducted by the very organization they wanted to protect her from. They were no better than their own parents, who wouldn’t tell them about V.F.D. until it was too late.

In the morning, Violet packed up her tools as well as making a variety of gadgets that could be used for locks and tools. Klaus gathered whatever files he had on that godforsaken cult, as well as the many maps of the city and underground tunnels. Sunny packed a good amount of food that should last them a while. Klaus and Violet soon called their jobs as well as the school Sunny and Beatrice attended, telling their bosses and the principal that they needed some time away. They aslo called their friends so they can get some extra eyes.

They were going to find their daughter, and they won’t stop until they found her.


End file.
